Tiffany

You and I shoot a ton of photos. And unless you’re a Stepford Wife, I’m guessing you have some clutter in the background of your photos too!

Piles of laundry. Somebody’s shoes. Bunches of toys. Or if you’re outside, a tree, an electrical pole, some random stranger’s boob (or butt). Trust me; I say this with authority because some awkward strangers rear-end, clothed of course, is always photo-bombing my photos.

And I despise it!

But who has the time to extract the awkward photo-bomber out? Or remove the tree? And most times, I want to include the toys! Perhaps they’re less obvious but still show that I’m not a Stepford Wife.

Well in today’s Q&A Wednesday video, I’mma show you how to hide the clutter in your photos. It’s a fancy yet easy trick I’ve used for years. Except no one can tell unless I point it out! And now you get to learn some of that voodoo I do!

Photoshop Elements likes to hide some of its best features! And one such feature is Fill Opacity.

Say what, say who and whoa? Yes, I’ll say write it again. Adobe Photoshop Elements, with his bad self, gets off on hiding some of the most important features from digital scrapbookers, like you and me. And we go around thinking we can’t when in fact, WE CAN!

And in today’s Q&A Wednesday video, I’mma show you how to play with Fill Opacity two different ways!

Shadowing acrylics, washi tape, vellum and other transparent doodads is tough. If no one has shown you HOW to do it — how to do it the RIGHT way — then I’ll wager you’re not doing it the way you ought to.

And come on, everyone wants to do it the right way! Eh, eh? Imagine one of those cheesy grins on my face …

So how do you do that shadowing acrylic voodoo you ought to do so well? Without trying to sound like Dr. Seuss, I’mma show you! In today’s Q&A Wednesday video!

But let’s be real folks: ain’t nobody got time for that! And by that I mean all that photo-ing and setting up. You’re a busy mom who lives in a shoe (we have that in common).

Who has the time for photographing a ribbon, or marble or safety pin? I know I don’t! Do you?

And what about those pieces of memorabilia that can’t be sold in a digital kit like a Disney Trading Pin? Or the icon of your favorite Sports team? How can we find and use those on our scrapbook pages?

We have to SOURCE it!

So, What IS The Easiest Way to Source Ephemera?

Well, in Part Three you’ll learn the fastest technique for finding scraps for your scrapbook pages. It’s Lightening McQueen fast! And you know that’s fast because my two year old said so.

That’s right — I’m going to show you a designer trick, another DIY Technique designers adopt that saves them boat loads of time and yes, even some money! You absolutely need to know this before you create your next page.

As soon as I started pocket scrapbooking, I knew I needed layers. Lots and lots of layers. Because layers let me tuck things under, pull pieces through, and add a lot of dimension to my layouts without looking cluttered. And then it came to me — why don’t we have digital Pocket Journal Cards? The kind that allows us to tuck, pull, and stuff a lot of ‘ish into other ‘ish and still look organized? We didn’t!

And like Bigwell says, “See a need, fill a need!”

Introducing Pocket Journal Card Templates! There are a total of 25 templates and they were released sporadically through January during the Pixels & Company $1 sale! Take a look at all of the packs, which include Original, Shaped, Framed, Noteworthy, and Notched varieties.

Congratulations Natalie! Mindy, the Director of Smiles over at Scrapaneers, will contact you shortly with how to claim your prize. And thanks everyone for your awesome thoughts about the class! It’s fulfilling to know that you’ll benefit from what we’re sharing. And I hope to see you in class — don’t forget to take advantage of the 20% OFF savings offer. Enrollment opened today!

You gals have heard me chatter a lot lately about Pocket Scrapbooking and getting the memories recorded. But not much about the classes produced over at Scrapaneers lately, which I enjoy producing thoroughly! And the latest collaboration class is one of our biggest, and most technique heavy, classes to date!

I’m flipping excited because it’s a set of techniques I’ve wanted to share for ages! But wasn’t quite long enough for a full-fledged class. Within the All Stars 2 collaboration class; however, I can introduce you to grungy digital paper creation art and you will become a paper-creating machine!

And there are five other lessons just as intense and kick-butt as mine!

All Star Techniques 2 opens for registration this Monday at a steal of a deal! But you can win a complimentary seat by entering my giveaway first!

All Stars 2 Giveaway

To enter to win a complimentary seat into All Stars 2, tell me which lesson you’re most excited to watch from the class! You’ll have to check out what’s offered, of course. Then share in the comments here by noon TOMORROW! That’s Sunday, January 5th at 12:00 pm EST. Increase your chases of winning by posting about this giveaway on twitter/facebook/pinterest or your blog. Be sure to come back and post a link as a new comment entry and post a comment for each share. Good luck!

Sigh. I caved. For years I avoided Project Life because I felt it wouldn’t fit my scrapbooking style. Even after crafting the Window System for my vacation photos earlier this year, I was still on the fence. And then the truth dawned on me: what would I, and my kids, appreciate in the future? My style or our thoughts? This art or my messages? Obviously, we care about our thoughts and the messages!

And when I look back at my childhood photos do I balk at the stiff polaroids with faded colors? Or do I cherish each and every single one? Sugar, I love every single one — even the ones without dates! No, they’re not digital, professional, or composed correctly. But they highlight my favorite memories and capture my family. Thus, I had my answer!